By Noah Zucker

MILFORD — Milford’s current post office is almost half a century old. A plaque in the lobby notes that it was built in 1962, during President John F. Kennedy’s brief tenure.

But this weekend, the U.S. Postal Service announced prospective plans to relocate the retail elements of Milford’s post office to another location in the city.

“The Milford Post Office is over capacity in the back with carriers,” said Melissa Lomax, a USPS public relations representative for Delaware and parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. “We need simply to move the retail to a new location and expand into the remaining space to allow for carrier annex expansion.”

The goal is to “increase the floor space for our carrier units to conduct our ongoing delivery operations more efficiently,” a press release from USPS said. “The proposed new facility will maintain the same level of retail services.”

The shift won’t take place until after locals have had a chance to mail in their comments.

“Normally, at this point in the process we would set up a public meeting to discuss the potential relocation with the community,” Ms. Lomax said.

Instead, the agency is putting a display about the potential plan in the post office’s lobby and soliciting comments about it via mail. People can send their thoughts or concerns to: ATTN.: MILFORD DE, United States Postal Service, P.O. Box 27497, Greensboro, NC 27498-1103.

“After the 30-day comment and appeal period, the postal service will consider the comments and appeals received that identify reasons why the postal service’s tentative decision and proposal is, or is not, the optimal solution for the identified need,” Ms. Lomax said.

“Following that consideration, the postal service will make a final decision to proceed with, modify or cancel the proposal,” she said. “The Postal Service then will inform in writing of its final decision, send a news release announcing the final decision to local news media and post a copy of the information in the public lobby of the post office.”

On Monday morning, the news had not made it to most of the patrons at the Milford Post Office. But that didn’t mean they were unfazed by it.

Domineire Maye, who grew up in Milford, was the one person who had heard about the potential move when asked. He usually comes to the post office three or four times a week.

“It’s been here so long I didn’t really think it was true,” he said.

Mr. Maye remembered taking a tumble off his bike in front of the building when he was a kid.

“I used to walk with my grandmother here to go drop off her mail. She would walk and I would ride my bike,” he said. “I remember trying to do a wheelie off this little step and I fell.”

The move would corrupt the memory to a degree, Mr. Maye said.

“That memory doesn’t seem as valuable anymore if they move it,” he said.

He did note that parking at the location can be a challenge. His wife likes to park the car on the street in front of the building instead of in the parking lot, which is small and only accessible through a single entrance/exit.

Harrington’s Ervin White agreed.

“I think it needs to be replaced,” he said. “It’s kind of small.”

Milford’s Nancy Davidson was on the same page.

“I don’t think it’s in the best place, because when you come around it’s kind of (challenging),” she said. “It’s a bad intersection.”

There are no lights at the intersection of Causey and Maple avenues. Just some stop signs, yield signs and an unusual turning lane on the southeast corner of the intersection, which some find confusing.

While the potential move would change where Milford area residents would get their retail services, it wouldn’t change the services offered.

Ms. Lomax said customers’ post office boxes will move to the new facility, but that they will retain the same P.O. Box numbers. There will be no changes to mail or customers’ addresses because of this potential move.

The ZIP Code’s mail-delivery service will continue to be based out of the current post office regardless of the move.

“If the retail move is approved, postal retail services will remain in the community at a different physical location within the same geographical ZIP Code area,” the press release said. “Retail services will continue at the current site until all necessary preparations are completed at the new location.”

Although the post office is mostly a utilitarian space, it’s also a place where community members cross paths unexpectedly.

“Generally, it’s a place to do business, but even here I saw a lot of people saying hi to each other and saying hi to the workers… I like that small town stuff,” said Ms. Davidson, a recent transplant from New Jersey.

Mr. White said, “You run into people you haven’t seen for a while every once in a while.”

Mr. Maye echoed the personable experience. “It’s an in-and-out thing, but every time I come here it’s always good vibes,” he said. “They know me on a first-name basis now.”

He appreciates the opportunity to make and participate in these social ties.

“There are people that I don’t know, but I know them from just being here,” Mr. Maye said. “I don’t even know their names, but when you see them you go, ‘Hey. How’s it going?’”